Malt-turning apparatus.



No. 766,230. PATENTED AUG. 2, 1904. G. BISNER & .P. WURZ.

MALT TURNING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 20, 1903.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

N0 MODEL.

Zn ewe r 6 f PATENTED AUG. 2, 1904.

G. EISNBB. & F. WURZ.

MALT TURNING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED OUT. 20. 1903.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

NO MODEL.

No. 766,230. PATENTED AUG. 2, 1904 G. EISNER & F. WURZ.

MALT TURNING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED 00120, 1903. N0 MODEL. 4 SHEBTS-SHEET a.

win/6626s: Java/ 1237's,-

No. 766,230. I PATENTED AUG.-2,1904. e. EISNER & F. WURZ.

MALT TURNING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED 0M. 20. 1903.

no MODEL. 4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

WZtnesses: j vgnwf:

Patented August 2, 1:)04.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GUSTAV EISNER AND FRITZ \VORZ, OF MUNICH, GERBIANY.

MALT-TURNING APPARATUS- SPECIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 766,230, dated August 2, 1904,

Application filed October 20, 1903- Serial Nu. 177,820. No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, GUSTAV EISNER and FRITZ ORZ, subjects of the Kingof Bavaria, residing at Munich, Germany, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Malt- Turning Apparatus for Simultaneous Upperand Lower Cuts, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in malt-turning apparatus forsimultaneous upper and lower cuts.

The apparatus hitherto known for the purpose of turning germinatinggrain (green malt) on the floor of the malt-house by means ofmechanically-operated shovels or rakesinstead of by'means ofhand-shovels are based on the arrangement of along horizontal craneplaced across the malting-fioor approximately one meter above the layerof grain, which is spread over the said floor in the thickness ofapproximately five centimeters, each end of the crane being supported bymeans of wheels on a rail fixed to one wall of the maltinghouse. Fromthis crane are suspended several large and broad shovels, eachconsisting of a row of blades placed side by side. The crane alsocarries mechanism for operating the said shovels and reversing them andthe like and for moving the crane, the said mechanism being driven byelectricity. The crane is thus adapted to move slowly over the maltlayer, while the shovels below it are given an ascending and descendingmovement by means of rotating cranks connected to the rake-holders and arocking movement by means of special mechanism provided for thatpurpose.

, The downward movement causes the shovels ism which imparts to therotating shovels the rocking movement, so that during the lower part oftheir circular movement in and through the malt layer the blade-pointsreceive, so to speak, a certain independent relative movement, may becalled the rocking mechanism. This independent movementof the shovel onits support while itis circularly ascending and descending with the saidsupport converts the movement of the blade-points into an ellipticalone. The shovel movement can be made deeper or shallower and the maltcan be thrown off at a greater or less elevation above the floor, asrequired. This depends on the kind of malt being treated that is to say,the stages of its germination,of which there are several.Sincethegerminatinggrainmustnot be injured, the blades of the shovelsare formed of long fiat narrow metal bars or plates fixed only at oneend or at the center, so that they are resilient. If the blades arefixed at their centers, both halves thereof can be used. In this casethe two halves of the blades are given different shapes, one half ofeach blade being flat, so that they come flatly into contact with thefloor, whereas the other half on the other side of the point ofattachment is twisted, so that instead of its broader surface itsnarrower edges are in the working position. The blades placed edgewiseserve more particularly for loosening the malt layers, into which theypenetrate more easily than the plates or bars placed broadside on. 0fthe malt-turning machines described above, which only work with singleshovels, some are so arranged that the shovels do not penetrate to theentire depth of the layer, but only to one-half or twothirds of the saiddepth, so that they first remove an upper layer and after dischargingsame pick up the second layer below. The object of this is to ventilateand loosen the malt as thoroughly as possible. This method of workingis, however, very inconvenient, since the crane must be given alternateforward and backward movement during its travel by means ofreversing-gear,and a large amount of adjustment is necessary. After thefirst forward movement of the travelingcrane and the upper stroke andremoval of the upper malt layer the turning apparatus is lifted by meansof a gear and the forward movement is converted into a rearward movementextending through half the distance previously traveled. The shovels arethen automatically adjusted in a lower position in order to pick up therest of the layer during the lower stroke. therefore required for thisoperationfor ward movement of the turning apparatus, rotation of crankfor upper stroke, cessation of the crane movement and reversal of gear,rearward movement, adjustment of the shovel in a lower position,rotation of crank for lower stroke, and, finally, repeated forwardmovement of the entire apparatus through a distance equal to that firsttraveled. This arrangement and working gives excellent results, butrequires a considerable amount of time.

In the second kind of malt-turning machine the arrangement is such thatthe crane advances uninterruptedly, the shovels cutting the entire depthof the layer. This method requires less time; but the malt is onlylifted -and the time required is further reduced only ten minutes, forinstance, being required as against twenty minutes and thirty minutes inthe case of the older apparatus. A considerable effect is also producedby the fact that the throwing of malt from two shovels con:

taining the malt picked up by the upper and lower strokes at the sametime causes the malt on the said shovels to be effectively mixed,besides producing the usual turning of the lower layers to the top. Bythis means that is to say, by the increased access of oxygenthe uniformgrowth of the malt is considerably favored, so that an advantage isobtained in this respect also. The efficiency of the turning apparatusis thus considerably increased.-

Figure 1 is a cross-section, partly on the line A B of Fig. 3, showingone of the carriers with the operating-cranks connected to the crane andthe new shovel arrangement. Fig. 2 is a cross-section on the line C D ofFig. 3. Fig. 3 is a rear view of the apparatus with the blades of theshovels partly broken away. Fig. 1 is a View corresponding to Fig. 1with the shovels in the reversed working position, and Fig. 5 is adiagram illustrating the upward and downward movement of the shovelsduring their circular oscillations. illustrate as an example one form ofthe ap- A series of movements are Figs. 6 and 7 r paratus in connectionwith which the shovels and their operating-gear are used, Fig. 6 being apartial front view and Fig. 7 a cross-section near one of the dependingshovels.

The shovel-carriers 0 are vertically suspended at intervals from thecranks b, which are adapted to be revolved by the gear-wheels aneccentric or crank aconnecting-rod f,

and an arm g. v

In the carrier 0 of each shovel a rotatable axle h, preferablytubular,is mounted. The length of this axle is approximatelyequal to the breadthof the shovels, the said breadth being determined as desired. Near eachend of this axle is mounted a rotatable sleeve, to which is fixed an arm2', the said sleeve being adapted to be fixedly connected to the axle bymeans of ascrew. Each end of each of the said arms is connected to theend of the other arm by means of a rod or axle 70, from which theshovels Z Z are suspended by means of short rotatable connecting pieces.Each shovel consists of a series of blades of any suitable shape fixedto a cross-bar, as shown in Figs. 1 and-3.

On' the axle h are adjustably mounted, by means of sleeves, twohand-levers m, Fig. 2, adapted to 'be fixed in position by means ofscrews. Each of these hand-levers m is provided at-its lower end with ashort arm. The connecting-piece supporting each shovel 18 provided witha rigid arm n, so that it forms a kind of bell-crank lever,- which isconnected, by means of a rod 0, with the arm of one. of the levers m. Bymoving the latter the arm a and the axle 7c are therefore rotated sothat the shovel can be adjusted as required. The fixing of the shovelsin the desired positions is effected by fixing the sleeves of the leversm to the axle h by means of screws.

The adjustment of the forks with regard to the malting-floor dependspartly on the depth of the malt layer and partly on other circumstances.The normal adjustment of the forks for the double stroke serves forturning green malt in all stages of growth. In this position the shovelfor the lower stroke is adjusted at an angle of approximately thirty-twodegrees with regard to the floor when sliding on the distance of theshovel from the floor is in creased. Position 2 of the forward shovel isfor the loosening of malt with long interlinked radicles. the shovelbeing lowered to approximately ten millimeters from the floor. Position3 is only necessary before the adjustment from the position shown inFig. 2 to that shown in Fig. 4 in order to prevent contact with thefloor. During this movement the blades of one shovel pass between thoseof the other. \Vhen the shovels have been properly adjusted fordouble-shovel work, the rocking of the shovels at the proper moment bymeans of the eccentric-rod f is effected in such a manner thatimmediately after entering the malt layer the shovels are moved into acasting-off position away from the floor, the shovel for the upperstroke also being moved into the best position for casting off at themoment when the lower shovel leaves the floor. Higher or lower strokescan, however, at all times be arranged according to the stage of growthof the malt, and the rocking motion of the shovels can be increased orreduced in order to increase or reduce the height and distance throughwhich the malt is thrown and the amount of oxygen which it receives.

The rocking or oscillation of each pair of shovels--that is to say, theindependent movement by which the shovels are moved from substantiallyvertical positions to substantially horizontal positions and from thelatter back to the former while they are revolving with the entiresupport-is produced in the known manner, as is also the reversal of theshovels after the apparatus has traveled over the floor, so as to adjustthe shovels from the working position shown in Fig. 2 to that shown inFig. 4, or vice versa. For the better comprehension of thesearrangements and the rest of the apparatus the following may, however,be mentioned.

The rod f, to which an upward and downward stroke is imparted, isconnected to the arm 7, which is lixed to the axle b by means ofasleeve. The short upward and downward movements of this arm aretherefore transmitted to the arm 1' and the shovels, so that the latterare rocked. To the sleeve carrying the arm 7 is fixed a bearing for aworm .v. \Vithin the sleeve there is rigidly fixed to the shaft aworm-wheel. with which the said worm is in gear. \Vhen the binding-screwin the sleeve has been unscrewed, the axle is disengaged from thesleeve, and since the arm and the worm are held by the rod f rotation ofthe worm will cause the axle to rotate with the arm 1' and the shovels,so as to move the latter from one working position to the other, Fig. 2or Fig. l.

Regard must be had to the difference between the three movementsthatwork simultaneously and the other two that work only occasionally. Thelatter movements are the adjustment of the shovels by means of thelevers m and their reversal from one working position to the other bymeans of the worm The simultaneous working movements are indicatedinFig. 5, in which thchorizontal arrow indicates the travel of thecrane. (the working direction) the arrow in the circle (7 the directionof the crank motion, with which the supports 0 and shovels ascend anddescend, and the vertical arrows the movement of the connecting-rod ffor the independent movement of the shovels. The malt is thrown from theforks in approximately the directions indicated by the two inclinedarrows.

Referring to Figs. 6 and 7, the crane referred to at the beginning ofthis specification comprises a frame F, which supports apparatus for itsown locomotion and for moving the shovels. This frame is provided ateach side with suitable wheels or rollers R,hy means of which it isadapted to roll on rails S, fixed to opposite walls of themalting-house, so that the crane extends across the malting-floor B. Themotor-shaft \V is connected. by means of a train of gear-wheels a, tothe cranks 7), by means of which the shovel-carriers c are operated inthe manner already described. It is not deemed necessary to describethis part of the apparatus in detail, since it can be of any suitableconstruction, and the form illustrated is only shown as an example.

Apparatus of the kind described for turning malt can also be used forother purposes for which it is necessary to turn, mix, and ventilatematerial.

We claim 1. In apparatus for turning malt and other material, thecombination of a pair of shovels adapted to bemoved in a horizontaldirection over a malting-tloor, means for raising and lowering theshovels to and from said floor at relatively different distancestherefrom, means for imparting a common rocking motion to said shovels,means for separately adjusting the angle of inclination of the latter,and

means for reversing the working position of said shovels substantiallyas described.

2. In apparatus for turning malt and other material, the combination ofa pair of shovels adapted to be moved in a horizontal direction over amalting-floor, means for raising and lowering the shovels to and fromsaid floor at relatively diiferent distances therefrom, means forimparting a common rocking motion to said shovels, a system ofhand-operated levers and rods adapted to separately adjust the angle ofinclination of the shovels, and means for reversing the working positionof the latter substantially as described.

3. In apparatus for turning malt and other material, the combination ofa pair of shovels adapted to be moved in a horizontal direction over amalting-floor, and adjustably mounted on a rotatabledouble-armedsupport, means for raising and lowering the shovels to andfrom said floor at relativelydifierent distances In Witness whereof Wehave signed this therefrom, means for lmparting a rocklng speclficatlon1n the presence of two Witnesses. IO

motion to said support, a system of hand-op- 1 erated levers and rodsadapted to separately g iga 5 adjust the angle of inclination of theshovels U and means for reversing said double-armed Witnesses:

support and consequently the Working posi- M. ZIEGEL,

tion of the shovels substantially as described. CLARA I. PARKER. 0

